Have you had a look inside at the pawl that engages the ratchet…? It doesn’t take much taking-apart – go on, what’s the worst that could happen? 😉

I bet it is the problem, it always is (see above for the rest of the helpful advice). This topic should be made sticky as it crops up all the time.

Good luck!

I remember, from when I were lad, the 1998 Kona catalogue entry for their scandium-alloy framed bike (Kula Deluxe…?) mentioning the Soviet missile connection – in there they said it was so the missiles could be fired from submarines from below and through the Arctic ice.

So I guess if it’s on the nose of the missile, that’s the point of scandium [poker face]

So, I went, I talked, I listened and I didn’t completely fluff it up…!

Had quite a lot of very similar pieces of conversations along the lines of “is it your first time/what you expected/how’s it going/etc” but out of twenty conversations actually met a couple of very lovely and interesting ladies. Let’s wait and see if it worked both ways!

Topics that worked: mentioning setting up own business; doing my own DIY (that it’s not rocket science seems to escape the fairer sex) and baking my own cupcakes (she seemed to genuinely appreciate the baking soda/vinegar tip for her reluctant muffins). Literature and museums/art are useful cards to be able to lay as well.

Being yourself really is the key, though that doesn’t work against the girls that have been dragged along by their friends and the girl who was there worringly obviously looking for a sugar daddy…

If you’re unsure, I recommend giving it a go, if only cos it’ll reassure you that you’re not the biggest loser out there 😉

Though I wish I could have remembered more of it, thanks again for all your advice, ladies and gentlemen.

Oh ok ok ok ok…. I was in too much of a hurry, didn’t bother downloading your initial link, essel, and just clicked derp’s link instead.

My bad, cos the ACTUAL video, with the F/A-18 is TOTALLY **** AMAZINGLY AWESOME made even more AWESOME with the Ozzy soundtrack.

Hard to pick a favourite bit, but is that the ejection handle he’s holding during catapult, just in case, like…? 😯

The spit that needs out is usually the thick, mucousy stuff that’s quite hard to effectively swallow – in the gutter it goes!

Ditto snot rockets.

Aw, I thought it was gonna be about aeroplanes… 🙁

OK, one last ditch attempt to get some more genius ideas before this evening’s debacle.

Keep ’em coming, folks!

(Thought this thread could do with a soundtrack, albeit not one that took a great deal of thought)

Paint that’s thicker than a lady-of-the-night’s make-up is not unusual over frame numbers. It’s part of my job to write down frame numbers and some of them can be a right bugger. As Andy said, the trick is to get the light right – shining a bright light from various angles helps. There’s always a way, even if the 3s, 8s, 6s and 0s all look the same 😉

Some kind companies mask the area after priming and before topcoating/lacquering so it’s very easy to read but don’t even get me started on the feckers that cover over the frame number with the BB cable guide…

What if you keep your DOT fluid in a sealed bag, along with some sachets of silica gel, in the freezer?

I don’t: haven’t used DOT fluid brakes for years, but just wondering…

1/4″ for the rear

Edit: scratch that, it is 3/16″, as the wiser man said 🙂

How about Madagascar or Ice Age – would the combination of cuddly furballs and slapstick appeal to Lil Grips? Personally, I can’t sit through the squirrel piece in Ice Age without wetting myself at his little facial expressions…

“Let it snow” you say…?

I wouldn’t worry about wheels or drinks and gels for rides of 25 metres. For the rides over 50 metres you might want a sip of water at around the half-way point.

Are you a student??

Sounds (and smells) exactly like uni-time to me!

Just wondering if anyone would like a pre-brew Hob Nob or would they rather wait for the kettle to boil?

Anyone?

Perhaps some octopr0n for now?

Please, please, please let someone go off to google image search “areola” based on Sharki’s post. Please….

I remember learning form one of Jim Al-Khalili’s telly programmes that:

“There are more molecules of water in a single glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the oceans of the world.”

Completely irrelephant to this thread, but that dude’s such a great presenter of some fine BBC programming that I had to mention it.

As you were.

if you had come a long way you may choose to ignore this

…then you would be a prize dickhead who doesn’t deserve to be allowed to ride anywhere. (NB. This is not a dig at you, scu98rkr! 🙂 )

Tank Traps and Seagull should not be ridden if it’s raining or if the ground is damp.

So that’s, like, always then, right…? 😉

Anyone fancy joining me this Friday night for a go on my new ‘crosser? Should be just the ticket for Swinley, especially The Stickler.

Anyone…?

meehaja forgot to add some other things you ‘need’:

Audi (to carry your new bike); niche and crackly classic hi-fi equipment, overpriced (to ‘impress’ a certain sect); and a flash, again overpriced, watch (to never wear, but to endlessly harp on about on here). 😀

Other than that, definitely test-ride as many as possible, as thomson said, even if it’s only around the block to get a feel of sizing.

…and other than THAT, welcome aboard!

Let’s get a tally going: how many people thought “Picolax” upon reading the first sentence?

Two so far!

Hope you can ‘pass’ soon…

All the info you could ever want, and then some, even if he couldn’t spell “tyre” properly (crazy yanks).

used GT84 on ’em

There’s yer problem. Try GT85 instead. 😉

I just used two M6 bolts cut to the correct length. Cut them with M6 nuts in place (ooh er!) and then unscrew the nuts (ooooh er!) to clean the threads. This is especially important in this case as you’re screwing into aluminium.

I seem to recall reading on here or somewhere that this doesn’t work for the road cranks as the heads are too big…

Uh oh, it seems this thread’s been derailed and has somehow gone…

Woo hoo, a success story! You’re very welcome, Chris, glad to be of service and glad it worked.

Do you think I can use this thread as evidence during my next appraisal at work…? 😉

I haven’t eaten a Kit Kat for a dozen years: anyone know if you still get ones that don’t have any biscuit in?

McHamish – interesting duality in your suggestions. I suspect it would be tricky to persuade a lady to accept a lolly after asking her your first question…

Nice ones, Derek, even if all of them are TOTALLY OBVIOUS speed dating question suggestions.

I feel ready!

Chainsuck sucks.

I’ve a brand-new set of SLX M660 chainrings (very similar to XT, what with the composite middle ring and all) that I took off in order to make the chainset single ring. Been meaning to eBay them for a while.

Retails for blah, blah, blah, £60+? (a quick googling tells me). If you fancy them, posted by SD, for £25 my email’s in my profile. 🙂

Oh so many lols, cheers gang.

Phil – practical stuff, like it.

hels – So talk about normal/boring stuff and then lie…? Might work!

Wish you hadn’t mentioned the damn conveyor belt, nob! Actually, if any of them turn out to be immediately obviously unsuitable for me (i.e. if they’re attractive and charming) I shall definitely ask them about planes on conveyor belts. Ditto to MSP’s suggestions! 😈

This is common and easily solved, you’ll be pleased to hear.

It happens cos a little swingy bit of metal that’s sprung into place by a springy bit of metal to engage against a toothy bit of metal stops wanting to swing. This is caused by the original grease going gunky and filling with extra gunk and dust and crud.

How to solve it: spray GT85 into your shifter and work through all the gears. Repeat. Repeat again. Works every time.

There is a case for opening up the shifter, properly cleaning it and putting in fresh grease on the moving parts, but GT85 once in a while has worked fine for me for years.

Interesting, interesting. I think I should probably get an up-to-date first aid session sorted in the very near future!

Anyone have any recommendations for organisations, etc? e.g. SJA any good?

Wow. These guys are truly gymnasts of the highest order. I am awed!

I shall tell that to the next roadie on my commute who gets huffy with me for sitting on their arse. Thanks for the tip, JY! 😉

I got taught ABCD: Airways, Breathing, Circulation, Disability.

i.e. Only AFTER ABC do you worry about the risk of disability. Wheelchair’s no good to the fellow if he’s dead…

If he ain’t breathing and you need to remove the helmet to get some air in, do it.

Ped egg?? Absolutely no idea what that is, and, frankly, a bit scared to google it in case it’s like a magic egg…

Leaving ped eggs aside, I’m reading ‘Treasure Island’ for the first time in my life (I am ashamed to have not read it before…) and it is AWESOME!!! Best of all, it features a peg leg, which, if you’re drunk, is pronounced the same as ped egg. Get her that.

I call that win-win.

Do you mean barrel roll, or aileron roll, perhaps…? 😉

Sorry Realman, clubber’s right!

Trailing vortices, eddies and all that stuff slows a car down loads so having a car right on its bumper WILL make Car A faster.

Good ol’ physics.

I remember my grandad telling my brother and I about “CD players” once. Oh how we chuckled over his stories of those innocent and halcyon days!